Page 29 of Empire of Death
He moved to the wooden railing and rested his arms there. “If I keep sweating like that, I’ll become dehydrated.”
“You’ll become dehydrated from all that ale you drink.”
“It’s the only comfort I have right now.”
“That bar maiden wasn’t enough?”
He turned to look at me, his eyebrow arched. “How did you know about that?”
“I didn’t,” I said with a smirk. “Not until now anyway.”
He chuckled quietly then looked ahead again.
We fell into a comfortable silence, staring at the view, hearing the ocean waves in the distance.
“What about you?” he suddenly asked.
“What about me what?”
He straightened and pulled his arms away from the rail. “Anyone in your bed?”
My eyes immediately flicked away when Wrath popped into my mind, the six-foot-five gorgeous man who was everything I could ever want in another person. Not just in appearance, but in substance. His eyes were savage, but his heart was pure. “No.”
He continued to stare at me, like he expected me to say more.
“Why do you ask that?” He’d never asked me anything like that before.
He gave some kind of shrug and shake of his head at the same time. “You mentioned the bar maiden so…”
“I’ve had the equivalent of many bar maidens in my bed.”
He looked at the ocean again and stared out into the darkness.
“Have you had dinner?—”
“Is he always with you?”
“Who?” I asked, even though I knew exactlywhohe was referring to.
“The god of the underworld.” He looked out at the sea again, like the question was casual, when conversations about gods were never casual.
“No, he’s not always with me.” He wasn’t with me now…at least that I could discern.
“What is that relationship like?”
“Why are you asking these questions?”
He turned to look at me head on. “Because the god of the underworld has granted you abilities that make you a powerful adversary, and I just want to know what that’s like. Do you speak often? Do you make plans together? Do you know why he’s invested in the downfall of the Barbarians? It’s just hard to understand why a god would care about the affairs of mortals.”
“He didn’t tell me, and I doubt he ever will.”
“And you think it’s wise to accept his gifts when you don’t know his agenda?” he asked, his eyes studying mine, dissecting every reaction. “To sign on the dotted line when you haven’t read the contract? That’s not like you, Lily.”
I could never tell him the truth, no matter how close we became, even if he promised to take it to the grave. It was too big a secret for him to carry on his shoulders. He would never understand. He would assume Wrath was somehow tricking me into freely giving my soul. “Dad may never wake up again, and our kingdom could fall to an army of savages who would eat the meat off our bones. Perhaps it was foolish to accept the arrangement and agree to be his champion in this war, but in my desperation, I didn’t see another option.”
He continued to stare at me, continued to puncture the flesh of my cheeks with the tips of his visual knives. He silently pressed me for more, twisted and squeezed like I was a damp cloth that needed to be wrung out. “I know we’ve never been that close. I assumed it was because of our age difference, but now I know I’ve always looked up to you and resented you at the same time. Wanted to surpass you in whatever way I could so I could steal Father’s attention. I realize now how misguided I was. I feel like we’ve turned over a new leaf now that we’re on this journeytogether. And I want you to know that you can tell me anything, Lily.”
A warning shot went through my heart at his words because they practically fell out of the sky without warning. Seemed so out of character, like he was actually digging a shovel into my flesh instead of offering me something freely. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
